Basic Tools You Need For Your First Ever Scrapbooking Venture

By Elysse Biaca

Keep your memories alive by adding embellishments and putting them into a scrapbook. Scrapbooking is one of the most popular hobbies nowadays. You can also try this activity so that you can come up with good scrapbooks that will bring out more the sentiments in your pictures even better.
What do you need when you are just a beginner in scrapbooking? If you are just learning the ways, you will be astounded by the number of available tools for paper crafts and scrapbooking. Therefore, just consider a few things that you need most.
Since you will most likely be working with paper, you have to have a paper trimmer. This comes in different sizes which you can choose from. It is an important tool because you may need to cut straight and square pieces of paper and card stock.
Scissors are also essential. There are plain straight scissors which are for cutting straight edges and craft scissors that you can use for designing and adding texture. A smaller pair of scissors is preferable for cutting ribbons, trimming papers and die cuts, and poking small holes. Just make sure to keep your scissors sharp at all times and be careful while using it. Also remember to keep them out of reach of the young ones.
Self-healing mats will protect your working space when you are stamping or painting. Also, a craft knife involves the use of a self-healing mat. This tool is easy to clean by wiping or washing. This will also provide you with a repairable and even surface to work on with your scrapbooking projects.
When you are a beginner, it is also important to know the three kinds of adhesives to use. Acid-free glue sticks will be helpful in sticking large areas of paper while tape runners will be for adhering lightweight materials to the paper. If you use three dimensional embellishments, use liquid adhesives.
With these basic tools, you can now begin your very own scrapbooking project.

Elysse Biaca enjoys writing articles on a wide range of topics. Come and visit her latest post on making a First Birthday Invitation. She has also written on how to find the best deals on buying 40th birthday invitations plus a great deal more.

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Scrapbooking and Its Different Varieties

By Connor R Sullivan

Are you fond of scrapbooking? Then you must be aware about the fact that there are various types of scrapbooking albums available in the market these days. You can make your choice from a diverse selection of albums such as post bound, strap bound, paper bag, binder based, spiral bound and etc. Apart from different types, there are different sizes of albums as well. When there are so many varieties available in the market, it becomes quite difficult to make a decision about the most suitable one. Find out how you can get the best album that will serve your needs perfectly.

Making your mind about the size of the album is the first thing that you need to do. In the market, you will find many cheap options of such albums and most of the low priced ones are small in size. You can definitely buy a small album, if the number of photos to scrapbook is less. If you got a huge number of photos, then it is hardly possible to fix all of them in a single album and that means you have to again invest on buying another album. Therefore, it is important that first you need to make sure the number of photos that you want to place in the album. If it is less, then an 8X8 or a 5x7 size small album is good. If the number of photos is higher, then a 2x12 size album is suitable.

When you are done with the size, now it is time to select the album type. If you choose a post bound variety, then you must know certain aspects about this type of album. Metal posts are used so that the pages can be fixed to the album. It is very easy to maintain and re arrange this type of album as there is no need to disassemble it completely.

Strap bound albums make use of straps that are made of rubber along with a metal axis for holding the pages. The pages are spread on opening the album and it lays flat. So, it is also easy to look at the photos. You can also design appropriately over the two pages that spread out while lying flat. However, there is a disadvantage of this type of album, which is that you need to disassemble it completely if you want to add page somewhere in between, or if you need to change sequence of the pages. You need to be careful about planning your pages if you want to use a strap bound album.

You can also choose a ring bound scrapbook album, which uses a large ring to hold the page protectors. This type of album can also be viewed by spreading its two pages, but there will be a gap between the pages where the rings are placed. This album is again easy to maintain and disassemble as you just need to take out a page and place it wherever you want easily.

Connor Sullivan recently bought some scrapbooking albums [http://www.mousememories.com/] online for his family to record their trip to Disney World. His wife ordered some scrapbooking [http://www.mousememories.com/] supplies online for her art students.

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Starter Scrapbooking Layout Ideas

By Faye Hopkins

Looking for starter scrapbooking layout ideas? When crafting, using starter scrapbooking layout ideas to guide your project provides you a blueprint that you can use to spark your creativity and launch your crafting into directions you might not otherwise have considered. If you want to create a professional scrapbook that will wow both hobbyists and pros, don't be afraid to kick start your imagination with project ideas that can be found online and elsewhere.

Ready To Start Projects
Your scrapbooking layout should be guided by a theme of your choosing. The first step is to get a good idea of what kind of theme you are aiming for. Start with a consideration of what you want to document with your scrapbook. Perhaps it is a military scrapbook to document a deployment, or a baby scrapbook to save the memories of your child's early years. Let the theme of your project guide your ideas and your search for readymade layouts. Once you have determined your books theme, start your search for a layout.
Think Through Your Project
Now that you have decided upon your layout theme, it is time to develop the subject of your project. Brainstorm on layout ideas that have to do with the person you are creating the scrapbook for. Following the military theme, perhaps your Uncle Joe loves planes, or your new baby Sally responds so eagerly to flowers. Let the creativity flow through you and it will provide you with ideas that you can embellish your scrapbook with. Start with an idea and let it guide you through the process of collecting features that will make your scrapbook truly special.
Use Your Layout As Guide
Now that you have collected your embellishments, photos, and have a themed layout as a guide it is time for you to dive in to your project. Tap into that joyous place within you where you are feeling the fun of every moment and let that guide you in the placement of your features. Let your love and joy shine through on every single page you create. Use your scrapbooking layout as a guide but do not be restricted by it's blueprint. It is intended to spark ideas and creativity but not to hold you back. When it comes to scrapbooking your project will benefit from your thinking outside of the lines of your layout.
Final Ideas for Success
As you build your scrapbook, keep in mind that you want to let your beautiful pictures take the forefront. Try not to overshadow your photos with outrageous embellishments, because ultimately it is the memories the photos document that you want to highlight in your project. Use your creativity to enhance the memories of the photos you are using. Don't be afraid to experiment as well. If an idea develops in your mind, let it loose, try it! You might often surprise yourself with your own capability to create unique and fabulous designs.

Let us help unleash your creativity using free Scrapbooking Ideas and layouts.
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Ideas and Tips For Scrapbooks

By Peter Gitundu

scrapbooking is a way to keep memories alive by having them stored in a special album and attaching a comment to each of the photo, denoting the mood of that photo at the time it was taken. It mostly relies on your creativity for it to give you an end result that you can be proud of as you continue with your scrapbooking as a hobby or as an area of specialization.

Without ideas and tips for scrap books, you may find it relatively hard to sail by and that is why you might need some general knowledge on what entails scrapbooking and what does not. One most important thing to keep in mind at all times is the fact that you scarp book reflects your inner self. The comments that you attach to your photos are a direct representation of the thought processes going on inside you.

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You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be
tomorrow where your thoughts take you.
James Allen (1849-1925)
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There are many ideas and tops for scrapbooking that you could easily try out and you will be amazed at yourself and at the results.You to take note of the colors you use because they could either attract attention of put off somebody. Avoid screaming and in congruent colors at all costs. Remember that it is all about your creativity. Glittery colors like golden brown will add sparks to your scrap book.

If you want to apply border, keep them simple but colorful. Decide what material to use for the borders which could range from stencils, colored pencil shading etc. The more the better. Related photos or pictures that carry the same theme should be placed close together. With these ideas and tips for scrap books and many more that you can find on the Internet, you are set for creative scrapbooking.

Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Scrapbooking. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here http://gitundu.com/home-family/scrapbooking/ If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED!
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Scrapbooking Ideas - Types of Christmas Scrapbooks

By Bernadine Otis

Christmas is such a huge event that has so many activities and so many memorable moments! Because of this, when planning to create a scrapbook and after the preparation for scrapbooking and collecting scrapbooking ideas, some may be piling on too many good materials to put to waste or to leave for the next year. So what do you do, when there are too many memorable events to put into one? Create many different types of Christmas scrapbooks! Here are some scrapbooking ideas for you to choose from.

Recipe Scrapbook
Since Christmas is a time for cooking experiments and traditional dishes, surely, there must be a lot of recipes, preparation pictures and delicious outcome photographs for you to use. As for embellishments, use packets, clean bottle caps or labels cut out from bottles and caps. Highlight your page with a picture of the outcome and pictures taken during the preparation.

Children's Scrapbook
Christmas is a time for children of all ages - babies, toddlers, young teens, teenagers and young adults. There is so much for them during Christmas. Santa Claus, food and presents for the little ones; games and family time for those matured. Create a scrapbook especially for your children. Paste their home-made cards, gift tags, photos of them during the event and add some family pictures. Make sure to get a picture of Santa Claus and during the opening of the gifts for memory lane. Decorate your children's scrapbook with embellishments in the shape of Santa Claus, deer, cute little socks and red, white, green and gold ribbons.

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Scrapbooking with Kids and Teens

By Audrey Okaneko: As adults, when we think of scrapbooks, we immediately think of photographs. When we look online, we find albums filled with photographs. Of course many of the layouts we see are filled with embellishment but the central focus is the photographs.

Kids and teens also enjoy scrapbooking. Scrapbooks do not have to be photographs. Here are several ideas for both kids and teens:

• Lyrics to songs

• Photos from magazines

• Postcards

• Greeting cards

• Collector cards

• Classmate photos from school

• School reports

• Photos off the web of a favorite television star or musician

• CD covers

Kids and teens enjoy collecting all types of things that can be put into scrapbooks. Older kids of course can use all of your scrapbooking supplies. You might be amazed at the creativity teens show through scrapbooking.

Young children often do better with very small scrapbooks, and your scrap paper. They can glue it, cut it and add it to their treasures.

For the older kids, you may want to consider copying whatever they wish to scrapbook onto acid free and lignin free paper so that it does not turn yellow and crack.

Kids and teens both love stickers. We have always watched for sales on stickers. Over the years we have bought more than our fair share of stickers. For very young children, I don’t think it’s necessary to worry about the stickers being acid free. I have from time to time found stickers that come 1000 to a box. I’ve bought those and had the younger kids use them in their scrapbooks.

One of my daughters actually created a wonderful album of all of her stickers. It came out beautiful. The pages were nothing but stickers.

Another idea for kids making scrapbooks is to use homemade albums versus the store bought albums. Start with a piece of colored cardstock for the cover. Punch three holes in the side of the cardstock and then add pages. You can either use white cardstock as your base, or full sheets of scrapbook paper. Punch holes in each page. Use ribbon through the holes to tie it all together. Not only do the kids love these scrapbooks but they can make wonderful handmade gifts to give to others.

It really is possible to scrapbook at almost any age, and with almost anything as your focal point. Next time the kids say “I’m bored” suggest they create a scrapbook.

Audrey Okaneko has been scrapbooking for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com

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